The Iraqi city of Ramadi is on the verge of being taken over by the Islamic State. News reports detail that fierce fighting overnight has led to the capture of at least three nearby villages. Thousands of people have already fled, and according to Iraqi officials, suicide bombers deployed by ISIS have targeted check-points and government buildings. The assault on Ramadi has changed the current in favor of ISIS once more, just as the US and its allies claimed they were on a winning streak in their offensive following the recapture of Tikrit. Ramadi is important in that it is a Sunni dominated city that the Islamic State is likely claiming allegiance to. It was the site of major battles during the US war and does not have a heavy Shia presence, either in the form of militias or civilians. Click HERE for a BBC.com report and HERE for a TheDailyBeast.com article on this story.

Anti-immigrant sentiment is high – in South Africa. For the last few weeks, a wave of violence aimed at foreign nationals from countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malawi, and Pakistan, has resulted in at least four deaths. South African government forces in Eastern Johannesburg fired tear gas and rubber bullets in an effort to disperse a group of anti-immigrant protesters, and President Jacob Zuma made a public address yesterday saying, “What is happening in our country is not acceptable.” A counter-protest in support of the immigrant community in Durban today drew thousands of South African activists. Thousands of foreign nationals have been taking refuge in shelters. South Africa’s unemployment rate is extremely high, with the official figures hovering at 25%. Click HERE for a Guardian article and HERE for an Aljazeera article on this story.

And finally, here in the US, two related cases challenging the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency are being heard in a DC Circuit Court of Appeals today. The cases are being brought by the 2 largest coal companies in the US, and more than a dozen states led by coal-producer West Virginia. The coal lobby contends that the EPA does not have the right under the Clean Air Act, to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby lead to the shuttering of their industry. Both sides will argue over a technical difference in the House and Senate versions of the bill that passed in 1990. Ultimately the case is expected to end up at the Supreme Court. Coal producing states are accusing the Obama administration of wanting to harm their economies. President Obama has sought to use existing law like the Clean Air Act, and regulatory agencies like the EPA to address the dire situation of climate change. Click HERE for NYTimes.com article on this story.